The Dark End of the Street
by useful object
Summary: Kinkmeme fill. Laurie catches Nite Owl and Rorschach making out in an alley.


Written for the kinkmeme: _Laurie catches Nite Owl and Rorschach making out in an alley. Bonus points if she thinks it's hot._

* * *

Laurie skitters down the alley, the sickly yellow-orange of the streetlights fading behind her. She's tracking a guy who got caught passing fake fifties at an upscale department store, instinct telling her it leads to something much bigger. Nobody makes only a handful of counterfeit bills for the hell of it. Not that she has any real investment in this or particularly cares about some snooty store getting ripped off, but it beats staying in. There's never anything good on TV Friday night.

Her feet dance over the cracked pavement, avoiding the shallow puddles and the garbage strewn about. She'd never admit it out loud, but times like this make her grateful her mother trained her to be so poised in heels. Lesser women would end up ass over teakettle trying to traverse the streets like this, but it'll take a lot more than a few broken bottles and soggy pizza boxes to throw the Silk Spectre off balance.

She freezes when she hears a rustle from the darkness ahead. The alley was meant to be a shortcut, not an obstacle. She tells herself it's probably just a cat digging through the trash or something, but her gut doesn't fall for it and she backs up to the wall, using the shadows for cover.

After she sidles a few yards ahead, the meager light from a couple of back windows reveals the faint outline of two figures lurking in a doorway. Squinting, she sneaks several paces forward to let her eyes adjust and get a better view and a handle on what they're up to. Better not to get too close. Any number of surprises are possible, few of them nice.

But Laurie exhales in relief when she recognizes them as Nite Owl and Rorschach. Sure, she's probably butting into something, but at least they're familiar faces and wouldn't hurt her and wait why are they leaning into the wall like that and oh shit, did Nite Owl just _kiss_ Rorschach?

Yes, he did. He smiles and whispers something she can't quite understand, then leans in and lets Rorschach nibble on his lower lip before claiming his mouth again.

Laurie's heart pounds with an alarming intensity and she feels her confidence fall to the ground and shatter, lost among the trash. Her nerves are on fire and she can hear every tiny little thing: Nite Owl's cape shuffling, the boarded-up door sighing against their weight, the creak of Rorschach's leather gloves as he grabs the back of Nite Owl's head and pulls him down deeper into it. Nite Owl's goggles are resting on his forehead, and Rorschach has his mask pulled up over the bridge of his nose. It's the most of either of their faces she's ever seen, and makes her feel like more of an intruder than the kissing itself.

Nite Owl loosens the scarf at Rorschach's throat, and Laurie is half-surprised his head doesn't fall off. Rorschach starts to grind against him and it's clumsy but it's so _intense_ and makes Nite Owl moan, muffling his voice against Rorschach's neck.

Laurie is breathing in time with Rorschach's gasps and despite the heat spreading across her face she's keenly aware of the cool air and the skimpiness of her costume, drawn tight against her breasts and brushing at her upper thighs. This is a whole new kind of discomfort, a different flavor of "I've just seen something I wasn't supposed to" than she's used to.

It's not entirely unpleasant.

There's a vague memory in the back of her mind from that stupid meeting a couple years ago, of her teasing Nite Owl about never being seen without Rorschach. After it all fell apart and everyone bickered and went their own ways, she hadn't given it a second thought.

Separately, neither one did a whole lot for her (especially not Rorschach), but seeing them like this is completely different. There's something beautifully raw and desperate about the way Rorschach grabs at Nite Owl's body and clings as if for dear life. And the sight of Nite Owl's hands gently tracing his partner's rough jawline, thumbs stroking his cracked lips while cradling his face like something fragile and precious, is enough to make her melt.

Rorschach groans, deep and guttural, as Nite Owl clamps a hand on his butt. "You want this?" he murmurs.

"Not here. Not safe," Rorschach rasps. He pushes Nite Owl away, perhaps a bit harder than he meant to.

Laurie halts as she realizes they're going to leave. They're going to leave and they're going to spot her. The jig is up. She's cornered. Best to try and act natural. They pull apart, and Laurie moves in for the kill.

"Evening, boys." She steps into the light and waves at them as they jump. Rorschach yanks his mask back into place and shoves his hands in his pockets.

"Oh! Oh, hi, Laurie." Nite Owl smiles awkwardly and Laurie can't help grinning back at him.

Rorschach gives her a curt nod. "Miss Jupiter." She doesn't bother correcting him.

It's all she can do not to blurt something like "So how's things in Make-Out Alley?" but she likes her fingers the way they are. Besides, it's fun to watch them try not to squirm. (It's fun to watch them squirm, too, but that ship has sailed.)

"I was just passing through, investigating that counterfeiting case. You heard anything about that?"

"N…no, just what's been in the news," Nite Owl says, still a bit jittery. "Sorry." Rorschach just looks at the ground.

"Don't worry about it. It's not a very exciting case. I mean, he tried to use them to buy neckties, of all things." Laurie snorts and rolls her eyes. "I'm sure you guys are busy enough, anyway. I'll leave you to it." She nods, then spins around with surprising grace considering everything rattling around in her head, and struts off, back towards the familiar glow of the streetlights.

"Should stick to the Owl Ship next time," Rorschach mutters.

"Oh come on, that was no big deal. Laurie's got our backs."

Laurie finally allows herself a cathartic laugh as she hears a dull thump behind her, almost as if someone wearing body armor got punched in the arm.


End file.
